The Volume is too D*#^ Loud

This is an open letter to all game developers. I keep my sound on at a reasonable level for everything that I do online. Watching Netflix, playing flash games, chatting with friends, etc. So when I open your game which didn't bother to auto-detect my resolution (and instead chooses something that no monitor in the world ever uses), why is that volume is not only at maximum, but maximum is prepared to not only wipe out any volume on Vent/Teamspeak/Skype but also blow out the speakers in my very nice set of headphones?

Seriously - let's end this right here and right now. Let's make a promise to either give me the traditional settings box before your game starts, at the patcher, right there and let me adjust the resolution and the volume like we did for over a century or how about just making the default settings way more reasonable. Oh, people might think the game is too quiet?

Well, then, how about a volume slider right there at the login screen or the title screen. Come on, put it right there. You could make it big, you could even make it where you have to slide a character of a game around to adjust it. If someone is prepared to damage THEIR hearing, then by all means let's let them do it. Let them ruin their hearing. Give them the option, don't set it to default.

If anyone out there has any other experience, then by all means please speak up, but you all know you're playing a game and the first thing everyone says is "let me turn the sound down." It rings like the national anthem at the start of a baseball game. It's there, it's gonna happen, and everyone is going to just respect the process no matter what their personal views are.

Realistically speaking, there isn't much reason to have sound at full except for the small percentage of gamers who have yet to discover what the volume slider is in the options and for those people I've already put down two great suggestions that were employed for the longest time as proper solutions to this issue.

So please dear Game Developers, lord of our entertainments, please just like set the thing to moderate or just adjust it based on what windows sound is by default or something. Thanks!

In the Bush with Xerin

Everyone else's column has like nothing at all to do with MMOs and I think it's time we make a stand against this. Everyone but Lewis, but he's an outlier and doesn't count. Let's go down the list.

Don't Read This - A novella on the merits of competition within Karen's household. This telling tale of Karen's journey through life, ruining love with her elite gaming skills, and turning her family household into the Hunter Games as she sits by controlling everything through an online interface known as "Everquest." Truly, five stars, thumbs-up, I cried. Yet, what does this have to do with Pirates 101?

The Boom - The best column ever created by mankind thank you so much for writing this. xoxoxo xerin

Lifetap - A harrowing tale of a young man's journey to make the world have the most awkward holiday to exist where we all must collectivly explain to our parents what "World of Warcraft" day is.

See, here in the bush with me, we talk about real world matters to the MMO industry. None of this how awesome Canada is or how to turn your life into Highlander, it's real world real MMO issues. Ultimately, I do believe, that all readers should follow my column exclusively, because it is superior in every way.

Anyone remember in elementary school when it came time to assign student council. The elite group of kids who get to have a pizza party every month as they discuss issues they have no clue about. Remember how everyone won by offering free ice cream. It's just like, "yes vote for me and I will make ice cream free." I lost by like 3 votes in the fifth grade. I put together a presentation, wore a suit, and did everything a young aspiring nerd would do.

Some guy just was like "ya vote for me and I'll do nothing but make sure ice cream is free. It's dumb we gotta pay for it." Voila, he won with like 12 votes to my 10. Yeah, in America we fit like 30 or 40 kids into a class. Sucks.

Actually one of my classes was in the hallway, because there weren't enough rooms or trailers. I don't think issues like this exist anymore, what with double school days (morning school / afternoon school / night school plus overlap) and the fact that in the 90s they decided building more schools was a good idea before the economy collapsed.

Look forward to more In the Bush weekly every Monday. Until then, push mid!

Last Updated:
July 6, 2014

About The Author

David "Xerin" Piner

Get in the bush with Xerin every week for his column, Respawn, as he analyzes the hottest trends, buzz topics, and absurdities in MMO gaming. With over 10 years of working in the MMO industry and experience with games, Xerin brings his experience to the table to provide interesting thought provoking articles and helpful guides to the MMO masses.